Rainy Day Tales
by Tsu-chanB
Summary: Ameko was an explorer. She loved to wander off the beaten path. But all that changed when she found the lake . . . and that odd boy inside, or on the other side, in another world. Fascination drew her in and his presence would keep her there. HieiXOC
1. Part I: Lakefront Reflection

Lakefront Reflection

A fanfic by Tsu_chanB

A/N: This takes place before the Yu Yu Hakusho series. Hiei has just recently received the Jagan, which explains his overall weakness.

It was something one would see in a movie, a scene of mystery and beauty. Lush foliage grew easily by the still, pristine water of the lake. A thin mist hung around Ameko's ankles and blanketed the forestry. She placed a hand against the oak beside her, one of many hiding the picturesque image from the rest of the world.

Ameko stepped forward to further examine the lake but an unnatural electronic beeping stopped her. She pulled out her cell phone and glowered at the time, switching off the alarm she had set earlier that morning. She turned and left the way she came, filing the exact location of the lake in her memory to return to later.

She followed the direction of her compass to find the trail again. Ameko was an explorer; she loved to wander off the beaten path. Now that she and her father had moved to a new town, she was beginning her exploration of the parks and woodlands surrounding the city. She liked the move since she had already memorized all the paths and trails that she could reach in a day back home. Ameko had all new territory to discover.

She reached the dirt trail she had veered off of and found her dirt bike sitting against a tree where she had left it. She pulled it out, turned it on, and slipped on her helmet. She revved the engine for a moment, smirking in satisfaction, before shooting off down the trail back toward home. It was the weekend and she had the whole day to herself, but that night was her turn to make dinner for her and her father. He would be home in an hour from work and she wanted to have everything prepared before then.

Ameko returned home fairly quickly. She was still in the early stages of exploration and hadn't gotten to wander too far out. Ameko pulled her bike into the driveway of her father's home and rolled it into the garage. The house was fairly large by Japanese standards, even though only two of them lived there. Her father was paid very well for his job and actually made a lot more than he spent.

She moved into the kitchen and began to prepare dinner. The grandfather clock in the living room chimed to call the hour as she stood at the stove over a sizzling skillet. Ameko didn't hear her father come in, but she felt the shift in the air behind her as he moved in.

She moved to the right to escape the blade aimed to impale her and knocked the weapon out of his hand, catching it with her opposite hand as she shifted her well grounded stance. She poked him in the places she would target in a real opponent; the heart, eyes, jugular, and liver.

Ameko smirked as she returned to the skillet, tossing the plastic dagger over her shoulder for him to catch. "Come on, dad. Too easy."

"Oh, you're just too skilled for an old man like me," he sighed dramatically. "I must be getting slow in my age."

He suddenly rushed her and Ameko, not expecting another round, was caught off guard. She jumped out of the kitchen, dodging some of his attacks, blocking others, and getting hit the rest of the time. She growled and pushed back harder, trying to land a hit as she defended herself. Her anger increased the longer she remained unsuccessful and her vision clouded with rage.

Ameko lost the fight. Her father slapped her hard on the head and tripped her up while she was disoriented. Ameko fell to the ground and he backed off.

"Don't get cocky," he reprimanded.

"Dammit," she snarled as she sat up, rubbing the sore spot on her head.

"Is this the thanks I get for making dinner?" Ameko shouted. "I swear!"

"Stop whining. This wouldn't happen if you would keep up with your training instead of going out tramping in the woods," he said.

"Whatever!" Her voice was still on the louder end of things, close to yelling. "I don't need these stupid martial arts! I'm never going to use them like you. I don't even want to be a bodyguard, especially not for some rich fat pig who can barely waddle straight!"

Her father took up stirring the meat and vegetable mixture on the stove. "I'll ignore that last bit on account of your temper. You know very well that these fighting skills are for keeping you safe. Ignoring them is stupidity. There is still the real possibility that a rival of mine or my charge could try to take advantage of you as my weakness. You have to be able to take care of yourself. I won't always be there to protect you."

Ameko threw up her hands. "Grr. That doesn't make any sense! Why would someone come after me to try to get to your boss? I have nothing to do with that slime ball."

"You misunderstood. My employer is not a saint. Far from it, in fact. What he says goes, and if he decides I haven't been doing a good enough job he might sent some of his other hires to kill you as punishment for me." The man pulled two plates from the cupboard and began filling them with rice and stir-fry. "That's why it's so important for you to be able to protect yourself."

Ameko glared at the ground, knowing that her logic had been soundly defeated. Her father beckoned her to the table and they ate in silence, Ameko still sore over both her losses.

"Did you finish your homework?" he asked as Ameko stood. She dropped her plate in the sink.

"I'll get to it," she said as she began to wash the used dishes. Her father joined her a moment later.

"I'll take care of that. Go do your homework."

Ameko rolled her eyes but did as she was told. Her father smacked her on the head as she walked past. "Don't roll your eyes at me."

"Yes sir," she mumbled. Ameko almost missed the low sigh from her father as she retreated to her room. She felt like kicking something, but settled on glaring viciously at the closest textbook. She didn't want to exasperate her dad like that and channeled her frustrated energy into her schoolwork.

Ameko knew she wasn't the best daughter. She was hot-headed and quick to anger. Her grades weren't the best and she didn't have many friends. The ones she did have were mostly guys, something her father wasn't always happy about. She had never been much of a girl, preferring fighting games and action movies to romance and nail-painting. Her father didn't help in keeping her from that choice, even though he tried sometimes to help her be more feminine. He wasn't an expert on it and most of his attempts failed. His occupation as a fighter and bodyguard made teaching Ameko how to be a woman more difficult as well; he just wasn't used to dealing with it.

Ameko grew up without a mother, she had died soon after Ameko's birth, and her father had tried many times over the years to find someone to act as a mother figure for her. But Ameko didn't want a replacement and her father never found anyone he liked enough to marry. So it was just the two of them and Ameko knew it ate at him sometimes. He still missed her mother.

She quit halfway through her work and laid sideways across her bed. She grabbed the mp3 player off her nightstand, putting on the earphones as she cranked up the volume on one of her favorite rock songs. She drifted off to sleep and awoke the next morning with her alarm.

Ameko wiped the drool from her lip, noticing her head had somehow moved onto her pillow and her mp3 player was back on the nightstand. She sat up with a yawn and scratched her scalp under her matted hair before sluggishly making her way to the bathroom for a shower. She got ready for school, slipping on her blue uniform and leaving the jacket open to show her favorite shirt that had 'The angels have the blue box' written in blue across the front.

Her father had already left for work. Ameko ate breakfast alone and locked up the house before jumping on her dirt bike. She rode off to school.

The first bell rang just as she pulled up to the school yard. Ameko cursed as she removed her helmet. She was late again. There was no use hurrying now, so she meandered down the halls until she reached the correct classroom. Ameko slid open the back door and tiptoed her way to her seat, hoping the teacher wouldn't notice her late entrance. Ameko reached out for her desk chair.

"Takeshi!" Ameko flinched as her last name was called. She turned to face the wrath of her irate teacher.

"Late again, I see," Iwamoto continued with a sneer. "Outside."

With a sigh, Ameko followed his pointing finger as she barely resisted the urge to roll her eyes. If that man thought she would be intimidated by time out he was sorely mistaken.

Ameko sat in the hall for the rest of the class. She watched the ceiling or the trees outside the window and stared at anyone that passed by. The highlight of the hour was when she found a loose thread in her pants and tried to remove it without ruining the clothing.

She stood abruptly as the door beside her slid open. Class was over and Iwamoto had exited the classroom. There was no need for Ameko to let him know she had been sitting the whole time.

"This is the third time you've been late to my class and you've only been a member of this school for two months," he said. "Lateness is a sign of laziness. The next time this happens you will receive an automatic failure."

"Yes sir," Ameko responded and stuck out her tongue as he turned away to walk down the hall.

"I also expect you to wear the _correct_ uniform tomorrow." Iwamoto turned his head, sending her another condescending sneer.

"But sir," Ameko responded in fake innocence. "This is the standard blue uniform required for all Sarayashiki students." Iwamoto always ground on her nerves and she wanted a chance to return the favor.

"Don't be a smartass. Didn't your parents teach you how to dress properly?"

Ameko clenched her hands into fists. Anger flared up at his patronizing attitude and she spoke before she could stop herself. "Excuse me for not wanting to dress like a whore so you can stare up my skirt, sensei."

Iwamoto's eyes widened. Ameko continued. "I'm just the fly in the ointment, the monkey in the wrench, the pain in the ass since I can't seem to follow your rules, aren't I sensei? And I don't remember seeing that rule in the school's dress code. In fact, none of the other teachers seem to care nearly as much as you. So are you sure it's really about dressing properly? If that's the case, someone should redesign those trashy miniskirts."

"You've earned yourself a detention for your cheek, Takeshi," he growled after several moments of silence. "Now get back to class!"

Ameko stood there for another few seconds, trying to force down the urge to punch his lights out and wring the teacher's neck. Without another word she stiffly walked away and opened the door of the classroom. She went back inside, plopped down at her desk, and fumed until the next class started.

She was still pretty sore when lunch came around. Natsumi, one of Ameko's only girl friends, noticed it as soon as she sat down in the small group on the school's lawn.

"What happened to you, Ameko? Get another detention or something?" Natsumi asked.

"Yeah. Iwamoto and I share a common hatred. That prick just gets me so riled up. I can't stand him!" Ameko nearly yelled.

"You and most of the rest of the school," Rokuro commented beside her.

Another boy joined the group. "You know, Ameko, you might actually beat out Urameshi for record number of detentions if you keep this up. How many is that, five since you started here?"

"Six now," Natsumi reminded them. Ameko growled and fell back on the grass. She glared up at the sky for a little while before her pensive reverie was broken. A foot came down on her stomach as someone walked right over her.

"Hey!" Ameko sat up quickly and looked to see who had done that. "Oh."

Her other female friend, Midori, had crouched behind Natsumi as if she was hiding.

"Don't let him kill me!" The small girl squeaked.

"What's up, Midori?" Rokuro asked.

"I was just minding my own business, getting a snack from the cafeteria. I happened to grab the last sweet bun and Rushio was behind me in line. He threatened me to try to get me to give it to him but I told him some not-very-nice ways to get lost. Now he's out to get me!"

"Hey!" The group turned to see Rushio rushing toward them, his face contorted in rage.

"Shove off, bonehead," Ameko said as Rushio opened his mouth. "Throwing a temper tantrum cause you didn't get what you wanted is pretty lame."

"I'm not here for you. Come out and insult me to my face, Midori. Then we'll see how tough you are," he said.

"I already did!" Midori peeked out her head from behind Natsumi. Rushio growled and approached. Ameko stood between him and Midori as the girl squeaked again. Her temper hadn't fully cooled from her confrontation with Iwamoto and Rushio's idiotic pursuit of Midori had easily set her blood boiling again.

"This is a bad day to get on my nerves, jerkoff. Just turn around and walk away so you can save face," Ameko said. She knew she was breaking her father's first rule, but her friend had been put in danger. Surely he would agree she was doing the right thing by protecting someone.

Rushio laughed. "In case you haven't noticed, I'm three times your size and I know some serious martial arts moves."

Ameko scoffed. "If you knew half the shit I know, your fuzzy little head would explode."

"Then let's test it and see!" Rushio growled and threw a punch. Ameko let the arm pass by her face and grabbed the appendage, using a combination of momentum and leverage to pull him off balance and send him crashing into the ground. She mounted his chest and beat down on his face until someone finally pulled her off.

". . . I think you got him," Rokuro said. Ameko panted and her vision cleared. She glanced down at Rushio's bloody face and her own hands, knuckles wet with the red liquid. She pulled out of Rokuro's grasp and began to leave the scene just as a small group of teachers arrived. Ameko ran to her dirt bike and quickly shoved her helmet on over her head. She shot out of the school zone with no set plan on where to go. She let her instinct lead her as her mind whirred.

Ramming her fists into Rushio's face had felt good; too good. She hadn't really gotten into a fight like that before. Sure, she sparred with her dad, but it was never violent. It was only for teaching. And she was always getting in verbal arguments, but her father specifically barred her from fighting in school as the first rule of her training. Her anger had overpowered her and Ameko didn't remember anything after the first hit. All she knew was that it was exhilarating and gave her something of a high. The emotion was scary after the fact.

Ameko found her way back to the beginning of the dirt trail she had visited the day before where the lake she found lay hidden. She decided that was as good a place as any to hide. She still needed to think things over and wanted to stay away from her father's wrath as long as possible.

She looked behind her to make sure no one had followed before taking off down the path. The lake itself was easy to find in the full daylight, now that she knew where it was. She dropped down on the dirt at the lake's shore, no longer awed by its beauty; her mind was still on the school yard.

Ameko let out a puff of air as she ran both hands through her hair. She had messed things up big time. Her father would be furious, to say the least, and she was most likely suspended from school. Her father would probably make her pay Rushio's medical bills, which Ameko was sure he would have. She knew he had at least gotten a broken nose. Hiding out for a little while might be good for her well being.

"Shit." Ameko fell back onto the foliage and glared up at the smooth, rolling clouds. Her eyes didn't process it when the image changed as the day passed on. She felt like it was only a few minutes since she laid down, but the sky had darkened in the approaching night. Maybe she had fallen asleep.

Ameko sat up again and rubbed her hands together against the slight chill. The dried blood there cracked and flaked off, reminding her of its presence. She moved and knelt at the water's edge, planning to dip her hands in to clean them.

Ameko's hands stopped inches from the surface as she really looked at the pristine water. She glanced up at the sky and back at the water again. Her eyes turned to the trees behind her, silent and empty.

"Holy . . ." She was too shocked to finish. Ameko slowly backed away from the edge and stood, staring at the reflection in the water that was not a reflection. The trees were in the wrong places and more spread out. The moon hung full in the darkness, while the sky above Ameko was still dusted orange and purple in sunset. The moon wasn't even visible to her.

The most noticeable difference, though, was the boy sitting in a high branch of an oak tree front and center to her vision. She looked at the trees above her again; there was nothing there. He only existed on the lake's surface.

Ameko moved closer again in curiosity. The boy was asleep, large eyes closed beneath a white bandana. She couldn't stop herself from staring and watched him until the darkness of night closed in, until she fell into slumber at the lakeside.

She awoke the next morning to birds chirping merrily and a nasty crick in her neck. Ameko rolled her shoulders and stretched her neck to get out the kinks from laying oddly. She cursed the twittering creatures in the trees above for waking her. It was barely dawn. She felt her stomach grumbling unhappily at her for skipping out on two meals in a row but ignored her body in favor of the undisturbed lake.

The entrancing figure from the night before was gone. Ameko wanted to see him again and wondered if she should wait for him to come back or go home to face the consequences of her actions the day before. She didn't have to wait long for the decision to be made for her.

The black clad figure came back into her vision, but not the way Ameko had expected. She had barely caught sight of him before he connected with the tree in front of her, breaking it with the force of the impact. He stood after several moments on the ground and Ameko saw with a great deal of fascination that his eyes were a brilliant crimson. They narrowed in anger as he pulled a katana from beneath his cloak. Ameko blinked and he was gone.

She wasn't sure what to make of the scene. Was he in some sort of fight? If so, should she be rooting for him? Was he the good guy or the bad guy? Ameko didn't know him at all, but she found herself drawn to him. She wanted to be on his side of the fight.

He came back into view and brought a whole troupe of enemies with him. The short, handsome guy seemed to be fighting by himself against a group of . . . creatures. Some of them looked like lizards, others resembled snakes. Ameko wasn't sure what to make of them.

"What is going on here?" she mumbled to herself. There was no one to answer and the fight carried on. Ameko could tell after a little while that her guy was losing. Every time he struck one down, another rose up to take its place. His enemies had been giving as much as they got, too. He had lost his cloak and glancing cuts from their blades covered his skin. It looked like there were splinters lodged in his back from the tree he had gone through.

Ameko watched, frozen. She wasn't sure what to do, or if she even could do anything to help him. All worries she had over whether he was on the good side or not vanished from her mind as she saw something he could not. He had been caught in a stalemate with one of the snake people-things and a lizard guy used the opportunity to sneak up behind him, preparing to slice him in half.

"Hey!" Ameko jumped forward without thinking. "Look out!"

She aimed herself at the lizard person and touched the surface of the lake, disturbing the serene calm. She didn't fall into it, she fell through it. Her world turned upside down and back again in a second. Ameko crashed into a cool body and toppled over with the lizard creature. She spent the next several moments on the floor as she tried to regain her equilibrium.

"What's this?" a voice hissed under her. "A human?"

Ameko jumped up, still slightly dizzy, and grabbed the lizard's weapon before he could. The sword was heavier than she expected and Ameko's arms trembled under the strain of holding it up.

She raised the sword as he rushed at her with sharp claws extended and let gravity do its work. The steel slid easily through his skin and the lizard fell to the ground in two pieces.

Ameko didn't have time to wonder about the fact that she had just killed a living creature or the grossness of his visible innards. Another lizard attacked and she was forced to counter, receiving a deep gash on her left arm. She sliced down another and a snake person soon after. It didn't take long for her to become completely exhausted. The weight of the sword and weakness of her body from lack of food dragged her down. She started to have trouble concentrating, even as the number of opponents decreased. She swung at another lizard, which there seemed to be more of, and he blocked her attack with his weapon. He easily disarmed her and Ameko stood helpless, too tired to work up the strength to move.

A warm body crashed hard into her own and Ameko found herself sprawled on the ground, looking up at the red-eyed stranger she had been so entranced by. He sliced the lizard in half before its sword could descend. Ameko's eyes turned to the rest of the battlefield. It was deserted for the most part. The stragglers left alive were running away rather quickly. More joined their ranks as the seconds ticked by until only Ameko and her companion remained.

He turned to her, blood sliding down his skin from various cuts and the deep gash across his back. Ameko could only stare, drawn in by his bright eyes. His face contorted in a sneer.

"You have the worst fighting skill I've ever seen." His smooth voice pulled Ameko further in and she almost ignored his insult; almost.

"Yeah, well these fighting skills saved your life," she spat back. Reality wiped the haze from her mind.

"I did not need your help, human," he snarled. Ameko would have commented on his choice of the word 'human' but he tipped forward suddenly, falling onto his hands and knees. Ameko rushed to his side without a second thought.

"Whoa, you okay there?" She wasn't sure whether she should touch him or not. His back was still bleeding pretty badly. She grasped his shoulder to try to help him up but he slapped her hand away with a snarl. He sat up straight, which turned out to be a bad idea. The movement caused a dizzy spell from his blood loss and he fell over again, completely unconscious. Ameko scratched her head before an idea suddenly hit her.

"Yes! I'll bring him back home so dad can patch him up. This is the perfect distraction from my fight at school!" She smirked smugly at her own genius.

Ameko lifted the nameless boy up, hooking one of his arms over her shoulders and wrapping her right arm around his waist. She half carried, half dragged him over to the lake and passed back into the forest she came from. The trip was much smoother than the first even though Ameko suffered through several moments of dizziness. She laboriously made her way back to her bike.

She situated the boy in front of her on the seat, feeling his warm blood against her stomach as it soaked through her shirt. Ameko winced and shifted as his body weight fell against her left arm. She turned on the bike and took off a bit more slowly than usual.

She returned home and her father, after hearing her bike in the driveway, threw open the front door to greet her. His reproachful glare dropped into a concerned frown as he caught sight of the duo. Ameko inwardly grinned. Her 'plan' had succeeded.

"What the hell happened to you?" her father questioned as he helped her lift the boy off the bike. "And where have you been?"

"Long story, dad," Ameko said. She followed her father's eyes to the unconscious figure in his arms. "Don't worry, he's only mostly dead."

He didn't find that amusing and sent her a look to that effect. They both returned to the house.

One hour and many bandages later, Ameko sat with her father at the dining room table, scarfing down the food in front of her. Her arm was wrapped tightly in white cloth and her newfound non-human friend was laid out in the guest room. Ameko squirmed under her father's gaze.

"Explanation," he commanded.

She swallowed her food and the lump forming in her throat. "Well, I found this lake and that kid was there and he was being attacked by these lizard people so I jumped in to help and we won but we both got hurt so I brought him home and here we are."

Ameko looked up at her father as she finished her rushed recounting of her adventure. One of his eyebrows rose. "Lizard people?"

"You don't believe me?" Ameko asked, anger seeping into her voice.

"Just making sure I heard right," he said.

"Look," Ameko continued, hardly hearing him. "I already know I'm in a shit load of-"

"Watch your mouth," he interrupted.

"I'm in deep doo doo for what happened yesterday at school. I'm not gonna lie. I already know I'll be punished no matter what I say about this."

He nodded. "Good. You're using your head first. As for punishment, when you're not in school you're doing homework or training, if not with me then with Kai. And we're definitely going to work on your self control."

"Not Kai," Ameko groaned.

"You asked for it. Next time you should think before you act." He took up her plate and moved it to the kitchen. "Now go do your homework. I'll be checking in on you."

"Yes sir," Ameko mumbled and dragged herself out of the dining room. She passed by the guest room on her way back to her own and couldn't help but look inside at the sleeping figure. Her eyes caught on the white bandana and she had the sudden urge to take it off.

She looked down the hall briefly and entered the room. Ameko knelt at the bedside. She stared for a while at his face.

"If you're not human," she mumbled, reaching for the white cloth. "Does that make you an angel or a demon? Do you have horns under this or something?"

She pushed it up from the bottom and glimpsed something that looked like a scar before his eyes snapped open. He shoved her hand away and pulled the bandana back down.

"Damn human," he grumbled.

"My name's Ameko," she said, affronted. "I wasn't going to do anything; I was just curious. So what's your name, kid?"

He glared at her and looked around the room. She decided to answer his unasked question. "You're in my house. My dad and I cleaned you up after you passed out. You owe me a new shirt, by the way."

"Fool," he spat. "The portal you entered Demon World through is closed by now. You've trapped me in the Human World and dare to chide me over a worthless piece of fabric? You should be thanking me for sparing your life to this point."

Ameko glared back at him with equal force, her anger rising. "Look, I'm sorry for not leaving you to die, okay? And it's not a worthless piece of fabric. That was my favorite shirt you got bloodstains all over. Do you have any idea how hard that was to come by?"

"Che, your assistance was not needed or appreciated." He stood. "Be grateful I am a demon with honor."

Ameko watched him pick up his sword and move to the window. "Hey! You can't leave. You've hardly healed. And where could you go?"

He ignored her and pulled open the window. Ameko's anger grew. She stood and approached, pulling him back by his shoulder as he tried to leave. "I was talking to you."

He growled and grabbed her wrist, turning around and twisting it in the process. Ameko bit her lip against the pain.

"I've overlooked your disrespect long enough," he said.

Ameko scoffed despite her position. "You haven't gotten respect 'cause you haven't earned it, bastard."

His face remained stoic, but his eyes flashed with a new emotion, one Ameko couldn't place. She moved in his distracted state, grabbing his wrist with her captured hand and using a move that would be more appropriate in a tango. She quickly twirled under his arm until her own appendage straightened out, leaving his twisted under her control. He countered by tripping her, forcing her to release his arm. Ameko took him down with her a moment later, scissoring his leg between both of hers and tipping him off balance. They both scrambled to gain control first and he came out on top, pinning her down as he reared back his fist.

Ameko moved at the last moment, pulling herself up against his chest to escape heavy attacks. She wrapped her legs around his waist and hooked her ankles together, smirking in satisfaction. She had gained the dominant position in the grappling world.

With her newfound control, Ameko used her grip on his waist to force him forward. He placed both hands on the ground to steady himself and she took the one nearest her between her head and shoulder, reaching her arm around his head to grasp onto her opposite bicep. She rolled more to the side and squeezed his throat between her arms.

She could hear him choking for a few seconds before he did something completely unexpected. He bit her; hard. Right on her arm before her shoulder in the only place he could reach. Ameko let go of him with her arms and moved to cover the new wound with a cry of pain. He snarled and shoved his hand against her throat, crushing her trachea between his fingers.

Ameko gasped and pulled him forward again with her legs. He was forced to let go. She moved him back down to her level and grabbed onto his shoulders, lifting herself up as she pulled him down until their foreheads met.

She was disoriented for a little bit but recovered quickly enough, prepared for another round. He, however, was completely debilitated. He fell down against her, crying out profanities as he gripped his forehead. Ameko stared. Did that have something to do with the scar under the bandana?

"I can't tell if you're wrestling or trying to have sex," her father's voice came from the door. "Either way, you're not doing it very well."

"Dad!" Ameko snarled, scooting out from under her opponent with a fierce blush. She could see the fight was over. "That's not how it is, and you know it!"

The man shrugged, a stifled grin still on his face. "Yeah, but I don't get that kind of opportunity every day. Anyway, I thought I told you to do your homework."

Ameko huffed. "As you can see, I was distracted by an ungrateful jerk." She turned to glare at the offending jerk but saw no one there. He had climbed out the window and vanished.

"That guy," she snarled as she stood at the window. She hadn't even gotten his name!

"Homework," her father reminded, seemingly unperturbed by the fact that a short, temperamental man had tried to kill his daughter. Ameko trudged back to her room and plopped at her desk, returning to normal, mundane life.

But she could still feel it on occasion: those enchanting crimson eyes that would haunt her dreams.

A/N: Grappling is really hard to write, just so ya know. A video demonstration of the triangle choke used can be found at: http://www. expertvillage. com/video/5639_beginning-jiu-jitsu-arm-triangle-guard. htm  
sans the spaces, of course

Let me know what you think, and I promise there will be some romancy stuff in the next part and Ameko's father's lack of surprise with demons will be explained. This part was just the set-up. Thanks for reading!


	2. Part II: A Shallow Bay

A Shallow Bay

A fanfic by Tsu_chanB

A/N: Ameko's toned down a lot in this part. Remember, in the last one her dad said they would be working on her anger management skills. Just so you don't freak out and think I changed her character. :)

_COME ON! _

_The sun will rise__  
Another time__  
The colors blind__  
Your virgin eyes  
I'm so inclined  
To make you mine  
You're out of line  
And out of time _

_And I float above a shallow bay  
Lift me up until the ground gives way  
I'm a California cast away  
I don't think you want to f*** with me_

-Shallow Bay by Breaking Benjamin

"Happy birthday."

Ameko smiled nervously at Kai as he handed her a long, thin box. Of course he would wait until the party was over and her friends were gone to give her his own present. Kai was a quiet, reserved man most of the time. He was only a few years older than her, but had secured a job working for the same man her father served. Ameko hated being around him.

It wasn't that he was rude or mean, but he had an air about him that made her uncomfortable. She was never able to explain the feeling to her father, and the man insisted it was because there was an attraction between them. Ameko didn't buy that. She shifted her stance and flipped open the black jewelry case.

She felt Kai watching her intently as she removed the silver chain from the box. Ameko's eyes caught on the blue-white stone that hung at the end of the necklace and she couldn't help but stare at its beauty.

"Wow. Thank you," she said after several seconds of awed silence.

"Here." He gently took the necklace and clasped it around her neck, letting his fingers linger on one side of her throat. The cold gem fell against her skin beneath her collarbone. Ameko cleared her throat and stepped back. Kai moved his hands to his pockets.

"It's called a Hiruseki stone," he said.

"Hmm." Ameko rubbed the cool stone between her fingers, watching as the light rolled over its smooth surface. "How do the jewelers get it so round? Do they sand it or something?"

"No, they are naturally round like that." Kai didn't divulge any more details. Ameko's father returned from the kitchen to pick up the dishes and trash scattered around the room. She shrugged and stood, taking her cue to help with the cleaning. Kai lingered for a while, helping them pick everything up, before finally leaving.

"Happy birthday," her dad said again. He hugged her briefly. "I'm going to bed."

She smiled at him before looking back down at the stone over her heart. She wasn't sure whether to keep it on or not. She knew it was expensive, but she didn't really like Kai all that much and she didn't want to give him the wrong impression. She shrugged it off and went to bed herself, deciding to worry about it another day.

Ameko woke up early the next morning from sheer excitement. Well, early for the weekend. School was out and she had a brand new toy she wanted to take for a spin. She dressed quickly, scarfed down a banana, and hopped on her brand new motorcycle. Ameko slipped on her helmet and started up the engine, listening to it purr as she tried to think of a good place to go.

She checked her watch. If she left now, she would be able to catch her dad on his lunch break. It would be nice to spend some extra time with him. Ameko put the bike into first gear and took off.

Ever since her encounter with the red eyed demon, her willingness to explore the outside world had waned. She still went out wandering every once in a while, but it just wasn't that exciting anymore.

The trip took over an hour. Ameko enjoyed every second. She loved the feel of the air passing quickly by and the exhilaration of speed as she passed out of police jurisdiction on the back roads in the mountains. She already knew not to take the front entrance to the mansion her father worked at. Supposedly, landmines and fierce guards lined the way, not to mention the path wasn't always easy to follow. Ameko used the employee entrance instead and came up at the rear of the mansion.

She passed easily through the checkpoint. Thankfully, she knew one of the guys there already and he let her in with a short wave. She was sure she would have to call her father to get him to explain everything since she didn't come often enough to know many people there. Ameko coasted down to the back of the mansion.

She cut off the engine to her bike and pulled it up behind a bush beside a back door. A large explosion shook the ground as she was taking off her helmet. Ameko let out a curse and ran around the building to see what happened.

A bright blue light shone in the fire. Ameko squinted until she could see two figures walking out of the blaze as more landmines went off.

"Wait a minute . . . ." she mumbled to herself, taking note of the green and blue uniforms. "No way."

She rushed forward just as a blue haired girl landed next to them. She had apparently been flying on an oar. The situation was looking weirder and weirder.

"Urameshi! Kuwabara!" Ameko called. They looked as she approached.

"Takeshi?" the two boys said in unison.

"What are you doing here?" Yusuke asked.

"I could ask you the same thing. My dad works here. I was just paying him a visit," Ameko said. She glanced at Kuwabara and blanched. "And what is that on your forehead, Kuwabara?"

"It's my-"

"Don't ask," Yusuke cut in. "So, do you know your way around pretty well?"

Ameko shook her head. "I don't come here that often. My dad's boss is a real jerk. Ugly too. You never told me what you're doing here, and why you didn't die when you set off all those landmines."

"Oh . . . well, um." Yusuke tried to stall, looking to his comrades for help.

"My, what a pretty necklace you have," the blue haired girl said as she jumped in. "I'm Botan, by the way. It's a pleasure."

"Ameko," she commented in greeting. She looked down at the white gem she had forgotten and rolled it between her fingers again.

"Hey!" Kuwabara moved in close and glared at the stone. "That looks like one of Yukina's tears!"

Ameko backed away with a glare. "Okay, one: get out of my bubble, and two: I got this for my birthday yesterday. I don't know who Yukina is but this gem is mine. If you want it, be prepared to fight for it."

"Oh, that won't be necessary," Botan laughed nervously.

"Hey!" A sudden shout from the guards outside drew their attention. The sound of gunshots filled the air and Ameko found herself being pulled along as her classmates rushed inside. She yanked her hand out of Yusuke's and sent him another glare.

"Tell me what's going on! Why are you still alive after walking through a field of landmines? Why was Botan flying on a frickin' oar? Who is Yukina? And why the hell does that woman over there have a horn poking out of the middle of her forehead?" Ameko's voice rose with each new question until she was pointing across the hall at the demon that had just entered.

"Now's not a good time, Takeshi," Yusuke said as he and Kuwabara moved to shield the two girls with them.

The demon stopped with a smirk on her face. "Hello there, intruders. My name is Miyuki. How'd you like a fight?"

The four stared for a moment until Ameko broke in. "For the record, I'm not an intruder. I'm allowed to be here so you shouldn't try to kill me when you go after them."

"Your confidence is overwhelming," Yusuke said sarcastically.

Miyuki laughed. "Fine then. Which of you strapping lads will I have the pleasure of fighting first?"

"No way," Kuwabara said. "You're a girl! I can't fight girls; it's against my code. Come on, Urameshi. Let's just walk past her."

"I don't think that'll work," Ameko commented with a roll of her eyes.

"Oh, a gentleman. A class of insecure males seeking to own their women." Miyuki glared.

Kuwabara blanched and took a few steps back. "Whoa, I don't know anything about that! Guys just don't fight girls."

"I'll fight you," Yusuke cut in. Ameko smirked behind them. While it was sweet of Kuwabara to have that stance, it didn't really apply when the woman was a fighter. She knew that from experience.

"Urameshi! Are you serious?" Kuwabara said.

"She's a fighter and she's trying to get in our way. I don't care if she's a girl or a baby or somebody's grandmother. I'll still knock her out." Yusuke stepped forward. Ameko laughed behind them. She liked his attitude.

She still didn't know what they were doing there, but was willing to stick around to find out. It looked like a fun adventure. She watched as Miyuki pulled out a piece of her hair and used it to string Yusuke up from the ceiling. He won in the end, though, and revealed that Miyuki was really a man on bottom. Not that Ameko cared much either way.

The boys turned to the security cameras to gloat their victory before running off toward their destination, whatever that was. Ameko followed behind Botan.

"Is there a reason you've decided to tag along?" Yusuke asked, his voice full of sarcasm yet again.

Ameko shrugged. "Not really, but this looks like lots of fun."

Yusuke grinned back at her just as they prepared to round another corner.

"Move!" Kuwabara shoved them out of the middle of the hall. Ameko heard a 'whish' sound and Kuwabara's headband fell to the ground, split in half.

"Someone's here," he said.

The demon revealed himself, opening his odd cape. "Demon two of the Triad: Inmaki. I'm sorry I missed."

Kuwabara knelt and picked up the shreds of his headband, spouting something about his love. Ameko wasn't really paying attention. She did notice when the demon disappeared again and trapped them in a circle while he hit the floor around them with the blades of his weapon.

He caught Yusuke's shoulder with the claws and tore into the boy's skin. Ameko was distracted when she was lifted off the ground. Botan had made that oar she was riding on earlier appear out of nowhere. She jumped on it again and pulled Ameko up with her as the group of four ran away.

"Botan! Take this next corner," Yusuke ordered. She did so and the boys followed down the hall. They turned around and waited for a few seconds.

"Okay, he's here," Kuwabara said to Yusuke. He pulled back his fist and it began to glow blue.

"Shotgun!" A volley of blue bullets of light accompanied his shout and Inmaki was revealed against the destroyed wall.

"Kind of a cheap move when you don't even have to aim," Kuwabara said.

"What!"

Ameko looked at the holes in the wall as Kuwabara explained their strategy. Her eyes moved to Yusuke. "Hey, Urameshi! Can you teach me how to do that? Looks like a pretty sweet move."

Yusuke blanched. "Uh, I'll think about it?"

Botan glared at him, but turned a surprised eye to Ameko. "I'm sort of relieved you're taking this so well. Not every human has that reaction to demons and spirit energy."

Ameko shrugged, watching as Kuwabara and Yusuke held up one finger to the camera. "I might have some experience with that sort of stuff."

Botan blinked in surprise. She was distracted as Kuwabara called out. A moment later a large arm tore down the wall and picked her up. Ameko stepped back.

The red demon laughed. "The name's Gokumonki, third demon of the Triad."

Yusuke aimed a finger at the demon in a shooting pose and the same blue energy from before gathered at its tip. "I'll be sure to write it on your gravestone."

"Are you sure you won't hit your friend?" the demon taunted.

"Yes! Good question," Botan said as she continued struggling.

"Dirty trick," Yusuke mumbled.

Ameko glanced sideways at him. "Are you really that bad of a shot? He's four times her size."

He ignored her comment and instead lifted her out of the way as Gokumonki brought his club down on them. The boys left her and, after a bit of dramatic fighting, took down the large demon with a double kick to the face. They took off down the hall again.

"All we've got left is to take down Tarukane. And that'll be easy," Kuwabara said. Ameko's brow furrowed. So they were trying to kill Tarukane? She didn't really see that as something teenage boys usually did. Then again, Yusuke and Kuwabara were turning out to be far from normal.

Botan stopped suddenly as her watch started beeping. "Maybe not."

"What now?" Yusuke said.

"Wait," Kuwabara put in. "Yeah, I can definitely feel it. They're moving Yukina."

"How can you tell?" Yusuke asked.

"We're attached, remember?" Ameko looked on, confused, as Yusuke and Botan blanched. "Let's see if I can get her attention."

He put a finger to his temple and appeared to concentrate. The hall fell silent.

"So . . .," Ameko said after a moment. "Who's Yukina?"

"She said my name!" Kuwabara suddenly shouted. The other three looked at him oddly. He continued to talk. It was if he was on the telephone and they were hearing half the conversation.

Ameko turned to Yusuke. "So are you ever going to tell me why you're here?"

"Not now," he responded.

Kuwabara took off running and they were forced to follow. Ameko glared, her anger beginning to rise. She really didn't like being ignored like that. Her anger had been held in check because the two boys were the toughest punks in her school, not to mention they were the ones taking down all those demons. But she was feeling sore, and it showed.

"I've got a definite lock on her now," Kuwabara explained as they ran. They barreled down a set of stairs and into a basement full of odd creatures.

"Eugh, what are these things?" Yusuke said, disgusted. Ameko concentrated on not looking at the creatures in the cages. The sounds were enough for her. She stared at Yusuke's green uniform instead.

"The door's closing!" Yusuke pointed as he spoke.

"No shit, Sherlock," Ameko shouted back. She was the last one through and the door nearly caught on the back of her shirt.

They came out in something of an arena. A very tall man with another man on his shoulder stood at the other end, waiting for them.

"I take it we have one more fight," Yusuke noted.

"Damn." Ameko turned back to the others as her attempt to open the door and escape failed. She looked over the room, spotting Tarukane on the other side of a glass panel with a girl in a blue kimono and a few guards.

"Hey," Ameko nudged Botan beside her and pointed at the glass. "Is she Yukina, then?"

"Um, yes," Botan said, surprise and worry on her face.

They were distracted as the sound of men laughing reached their ears. Ameko looked at the screens beneath Tarukane, her eyes scanning over the well dressed men before stopping on the one on the far left. She tensed and glared as he stared straight at her, a look of relaxed maliciousness in his eyes. It was unnerving and Ameko had to look away after a little while. She turned her eyes to her classmates instead, realizing that she had missed the beginning of the fight.

Actually, Ameko wasn't sure if she should call it a fight. Yusuke and Kuwabara stood almost no chance. They were barely able to stand on their feet, let alone land a hit. Even the attack Yusuke used to decimate one of his earlier opponents had almost no effect on the powerhouse before them. She stood beside Botan, unable to help. Ameko was a fighter, but she had nowhere near the level of power displayed by the men in the room. She knew she would die if she tried to help.

But she hated just standing there, watching from the side like a helpless puppy. And she hated how Toguro kept fighting, even when it became apparent that the boys had no chance against him. Her anger grew at the unfairness of it. At this rate, her classmates would die.

"Feel free to take a little extra time with them, Toguro," Tarukane laughed from the safety of his viewing room. "I know how all you demon creatures are into torturing. Besides, my Black Black Club could use some good dirty fun!"

Ameko stood next to Botan, shaking in fury. Her anger was reaching its peak, but fear held her in place. She watched as Yusuke landed hard on the concrete several feet from Toguro. The man walked toward the boy.

"Tarukane's wrong. I don't like torture," he said, stopping in front of Yusuke's prone form.

Ameko wasn't sure what drove her forward. One second she was standing next to Botan, about to witness what she was sure would be Yusuke's demise, and the next she was rushing to block Toguro from reaching her classmate, a shout of anger on her lips. It was a move completely unplanned and unthinkingly made. She only knew that, no matter how hopeless it looked, she couldn't just let someone die without trying to help.

Toguro didn't try to block or move away. He stood there and took the fist aimed at his lower chest. Ameko winced as her knuckles connected with his skin. It was like punching a brick wall. She backed off a bit, still keeping between him and Yusuke. She nursed her throbbing hand with the opposite one, suddenly realizing the mess she'd put herself into and the error of her short-sighted decision. Ameko started shaking again, this time in fear rather than anger.

"A noble effort," Toguro said. "I thought you would have enough sense to stand back with your friend. But if you want a fight, I'll give you one. Don't expect me to play nice because you're a woman."

Ameko gaped for a moment in shock before finding her voice, trying to quell her body's rampant shivers by tensing and clenching her fists. "I don't want to fight. Hell, I'm scared shitless just standing here. I don't care if there's nothing I can do to stop you, I'm not going to stand by while you kill Urameshi. If all I can do is be a roadblock, then so be it!"

Ameko brought her arms up in a defensive position, not sure what he would do, but prepared to die all the same.

"Disgraceful!" Kuwabara's exclamation drew Toguro's attention from Ameko. They watched as he stood, his heightened aura surrounding him in a yellow glow. "And you call yourself a man? Seeing you live makes me sick!"

"Interesting. Your spirit power has increased greatly," Toguro said. Ameko wasn't sure what to think of it. She had seen Kuwabara's consideration of girls earlier, but she didn't think it extended so far.

"You'll be much more fun than these weaklings," Toguro continued, turning his attention completely away from Yusuke and Ameko.

Kuwabara glared. "Get lost. I'll have to deal with you and your brother some other time. Tarukane was the one I was talking to."

Ameko wasn't sure what Kuwabara was talking about, but she was distracted as Botan joined her by Yusuke.

"What were you thinking?" The ferry girl hissed.

Ameko scratched her head in thought, kneeling with the other girl. "Umm . . . I don't think I was."

"Goodness. And here I thought Yusuke was a rash person." Botan helped said boy into a sitting position. He winced and looked past the two girls to Toguro. The three watched as Kuwabara charged at him with spirit sword in hand.

"Get out of my way!" the boy declared. Toguro blocked every attack Kuwabara aimed at him and sent the boy back across the arena to his friends' side with one well-aimed punch. Ameko moved back a little to avoid being in the way. She watched as Yusuke and Kuwabara discussed a plan to defeat Toguro, and glanced up once at the man to see if he could hear.

Toguro stood calmly, betraying nothing. Ameko's eyes were soon drawn to the man on the far left screen again, right beside Toguro's elbow. She couldn't help but notice him staring. A small smirk was on his face, a cigarette in hand, exuding that same cold confidence. She could feel rather than see that he was enjoying the show. It was in the air about him, and that was what made Ameko shiver.

"Spirit Gun!" Yusuke shouted. Ameko flinched at the loudness at such close range. The blue blast boosted Kuwabara forward and into Toguro's unguarded chest. The muscleman fell, surprising everyone watching. Well, everyone except the man on the left screen. It seemed nothing could break his cool. He announced his win over Tarukane in the bet they had placed on the competitors and the screen went black. Ameko was happy to see him go.

The other screens went black soon after. The show was over. Ameko moved to Kuwabara's side to make sure he was okay, leaving Yusuke and Botan behind.

"I'm fine." Kuwabara winced as she helped him up.

"Sure," Ameko responded with a roll of her eyes.

"Oh no, Hiei!" Botan's observation drew Ameko's attention. She looked up at the glass panel again to see a very familiar figure beating the snot out of Tarukane. She could never forget those crimson eyes . . . .

"Yeah! Rip him a new one!" Ameko cheered.

"No!" Botan hushed her. "Don't egg him on. Despite what Tarukane deserves, as a demon Hiei is forbidden to take human life."

Ameko looked back up as Hiei's mouth moved. She couldn't hear what he was saying. "Huh. He doesn't look like a demon. Then again, he sure acted like one. Speaking of . . . ."

The three detectives watched, confused and fascinated, as Ameko rushed out of the arena. She found the stairs to the lookout. Yukina passed by her in the opposite direction and Ameko spared her a quick 'hello' before running the rest of the way up. She came to the door, where she had a perfect view of the demon Hiei.

"Hey!" She pointed across the room at him. He turned around to face her, a slightly annoyed expression on his face. "Hiei, is it? You owe me a shirt!"

"Idiot. Are you still concerned over that nonsense?"

"Hell yeah. I already told you: that was my favorite shirt and I haven't been able to find another one like it." She stalked toward him. He sneered and turned away from her, ignoring her presence in favor of looking out on the arena.

"Stop ignoring me, prick!" Ameko reached out to grab his shoulder, but he disappeared before she could touch him. Her jaw dropped and she looked around, trying to make sure she hadn't imagined the red eyed demon. If not, he was light-years faster than she remembered. She turned around, finally noticing Kai unconscious on the floor and a . . . person in the corner with long red hair. He/She smiled good naturedly at her, obviously finding something funny. Ameko just caught a glimpse of Hiei's black attire as he left the room.

"Hey!" She immediately chased after him. "Don't think you can escape from me yet. I'm not leaving you alone until I get some thanks for saving your life! And I want a new shirt!"

He blatantly ignored her again, even as Yusuke and Botan gave him questioning looks from the top of the stairs he was heading toward. They looked to her for an explanation.

"Ass!" Ameko called after Hiei's retreating form before he was too far away to hear.

Yusuke laughed. "I don't know many girls who would insult Hiei like that. Is there anything you're afraid of?"

"Not really." Ameko grinned cockily. She blanched suddenly and froze up as a familiar voice called her name. She gulped as her father approached, and the punishment she knew he would bring with him. She turned around to face him as he ran down the hall.

"I saw you on the security cameras, young lady," he reprimanded, stopping in front of her. Ameko could distinctly hear Yusuke snickering behind her. She made a mental note to pay him back later. "It's a miracle you're still alive. What were you thinking? Better yet, what are you doing here in the first place?"

"Well dad," Ameko began as she shifted uncomfortably. "You see . . . ."

oooo

Toguro sat up and rolled his neck, moving to stand as his brother took his human form again. One of the five screens along the wall blinked on again.

"Excellent performance, Toguros. You almost had me fooled," Sakyo commented.

"We have excellent hearing," the younger Toguro explained. "Once we overheard the boys plan it was simple to play along. Though I was afraid I would kill them both before I could fake a believable loss."

Toguro looked up at Tarukane briefly, hearing the man laughing deliriously. He turned back to Sakyo. "I hope you don't mind me letting the girl go. I didn't see any good reason for making her die. Who knows, maybe you'll want to profit off her tears some day."

"That's fine. The girl is of no consequence to me now, not when I think of all the money our great plan will be affording me."

"We're so glad that our client is pleased," Toguro said. "Now my brother and I, we have a little favor to ask in return. Please give us an opportunity to fight with those boys again; this time, seriously."

"But of course, Toguro. They will be two of the most anticipated guests at the Dark Martial Arts Competition," Sakyo said.

"I should have known. Extorting Tarukane's fortune was only half your plan. You wanted to see the competition."

Sakyo smirked in response. "You're very keen. However, I have one more thing I'd like from you."

Toguro nodded to show he was listening.

"That girl that tried to fight you, the one with the fiery eyes; I would like for her to be my personal guest at the Tournament. She needn't be a competitor. Please arrange that for me."

"Anything to please our client," Toguro agreed.

"Oh, and take care of the mess upstairs before you leave." The screen blanked out once again.

A/N: Meh, I don't like it.


End file.
